Anyone who works in technology in the United Kingdom (UK) is familiar with the Public Services Network (PSN). This organization was established back in 2008 to help public service organizations to work together to share resources and reduce duplication. Over time, the Internet has become suitable for most of the work that was previously managed by the PSN, and the PSN is now considered a legacy network. 

The UK government has adopted a “Cloud First” policy, and all public service organizations that were previously subject to PSN rules must now transition away from the PSN. However, this is not just a simple “rip and replace” operation. The entire structure of our work environments have changed, especially over the last year, adding more complexity to our already complex security challenges. How can we securely migrate from the PSN?

The PSN was a centrally managed network, so its elimination presents the possibility of many directions that an organization can take when migrating to one of the many types and providers of cloud services. In a way, we are looking at the same old problems but with a new approach. It all comes back to the idea of reducing complexity and adhering to security basics. Access control and access management will factor heavily into these practices. 

Plan Early, Test Early

We don’t know exactly when the PSN is going to leave us, but it is estimated that it will occur around 2023. The good news is that there is ample time to plan a safe migration. However, if we use history as a barometer, we need only look at the preparation that took place prior to the 2018 implementation of GDPR. Organizations had at least two years to prepare for GDPR, and yet, when the deadline approached, many (Read more...)